In California, there are 100 total state legislative seats with elections in 2012 and most current incumbents are seeking re-election.

In California, there are 100 total state legislative seats with elections in 2012 and most current incumbents are seeking re-election.

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Of those 100, [[California State Senate|20 are State Senate]] seats and [[California House of Representatives|80 are State House]] seats. A total of 56 incumbents (56.0%) are seeking re-election this year. Just 20 (35.7%) incumbents running for re-election face primary opposition. Additionally, there are 44 (44.0%) districts where an incumbent is not seeking re-election within that district. For November's general elections, there will be 92 (92.0%) seats where more than one major party candidate will appear on the ballot.

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Of those 100, [[California State Senate|20 are State Senate]] seats and [[California House of Representatives|80 are State House]] seats. A total of 56 incumbents (56.0%) are seeking re-election this year. Just 20 (35.7%) incumbents running for re-election face primary opposition. Additionally, there are 44 (44.0%) districts where an incumbent did not seek re-election within that district. For November's general elections, there will be 92 (92.0%) seats where more than one major party candidate will appear on the ballot.

{{CA Nationwide index 2012}}

{{CA Nationwide index 2012}}

Latest revision as of 02:45, 12 November 2012

MADISON, Wisconsin: California's legislative elections in 2012 are more competitive than most of the country, based on Ballotpedia's Competitiveness index which captures the extent of electoral competitiveness exhibited in state legislative elections.

About the Competitiveness index:
The Ballotpedia state legislative competitive index looks at three factors: is the incumbent running for re-election in a district; if so, does he or she draw a primary challenge; and are there two major party candidates in the general election.

Ballotpedia's index is created by summing the three percentages and then dividing by three. Each state is given 1 point for each percentage. Then, the points are added up and divided by three to establish the index rating. 1 is least competitive and 100 equals most competitive.

Once a state releases official primary candidate lists, Ballotpedia staff analyzes the data to determine primary competitiveness. All 44 states holding 2012 state legislative elections have been analyzed by Ballotpedia.

California in 2012:
California's filing deadline was on March 9, 2012. It was the 11th state to be analyzed by Ballotpedia staff and the inclusion of its data brought the national index to 36.00 in 2012.

In California, there are 100 total state legislative seats with elections in 2012 and most current incumbents are seeking re-election.

Of those 100, 20 are State Senate seats and 80 are State House seats. A total of 56 incumbents (56.0%) are seeking re-election this year. Just 20 (35.7%) incumbents running for re-election face primary opposition. Additionally, there are 44 (44.0%) districts where an incumbent did not seek re-election within that district. For November's general elections, there will be 92 (92.0%) seats where more than one major party candidate will appear on the ballot.

Nationwide Index

The current nationwide index is 36.90• 44 states analyzed •(updated August 23, 2012)